Iran's President to Visit Iraq on First Foreign Trip

Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran's new president on July 30 - AFP
Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran's new president on July 30 - AFP
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Iran's President to Visit Iraq on First Foreign Trip

Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran's new president on July 30 - AFP
Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in as Iran's new president on July 30 - AFP

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian will visit Iraq on Wednesday, state media reported Sunday, in what will be his first trip abroad since he took office in July, AFP reported.

Pezeshkian will head a high-ranking Iranians delegation to Baghdad to meet senior Iraqi officials.

The visit comes at the invitation of Iraq's premier, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, the official IRNA news agency quoted Iran's ambassador to Baghdad Mohammad Kazem Al-Sadegh as saying.

The two countries will sign memoranda of understanding on cooperation and security, Sadegh said, without elaborating.

He said the agreements were to have been signed during a planned visit to Iraq by Iran's late president, Ebrahim Raisi.

But Raisi was killed in May along with the then foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, when their helicopter crashed on a fog-shrouded mountainside in northern Iran.

Since taking office, Pezeshkian has vowed to "prioritize" strengthening ties with the Iran's neighbours.

Tehran is one of Iraq's leading trade partners, and wields considerable political influence in Baghdad where its Iraqi allies dominate parliament and the current government.

In March 2023 the two countries signed a security agreement covering their common border, months after Tehran struck Kurdish opposition groups in Iraq's north.



Iran's Revolutionary Guard Reveals ‘Tough Days’ in 'Ship War’

Iran’s Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami during a meeting in Tehran with President Masoud Pezeshkian and commanders of the Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters. (Mehr news agency)
Iran’s Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami during a meeting in Tehran with President Masoud Pezeshkian and commanders of the Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters. (Mehr news agency)
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Iran's Revolutionary Guard Reveals ‘Tough Days’ in 'Ship War’

Iran’s Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami during a meeting in Tehran with President Masoud Pezeshkian and commanders of the Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters. (Mehr news agency)
Iran’s Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) commander Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami during a meeting in Tehran with President Masoud Pezeshkian and commanders of the Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters. (Mehr news agency)

After years of an ongoing shadow war between Iran and Israel, a top Iranian military commander revealed that his country had, some time ago, hit 12 Israeli vessels north of the Indian Ocean and elsewhere in response to Israel’s attacks on 14 Iranian ships.

Hossein Salami, chief commander of Iran’s Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), made the remarks on Saturday during a meeting in the capital Tehran between President Masoud Pezeshkian and commanders of the Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters, an Iranian firm controlled by the IRGC.

For the last 20 years, Iran and Israel have not officially confirmed any mutual attacks in their regional waters, with the first known incident occurring in January 2002.

Both countries have managed to keep tensions in check, although they spiked between 2019 and 2024.

Salami did not specify exact dates for the so-called “ship war”, but said it happened during Donald Trump’s presidency and the coronavirus pandemic, roughly between 2017 and 2021.

During this time, Israel and the US targeted Iranian ships to limit Iran’s military activities and disrupt oil shipments amid sanctions.

According to the Mehr government news agency, the top official referred to this period as “challenging,” noting that the IRGC faced tough conditions with Trump in office, economic sanctions, and the coronavirus pandemic.

“Our enemy placed us at the crossroads of sanctions, the coronavirus pandemic, Trump (who was no less harmful than the coronavirus), the threat of military operations, and pressure for political isolation,” Salami said.

“Initially, we did not realize who or which country was targeting the ships, but we eventually found out that it was Israel that had done it in a secretive and vague manner,” revealed Salami.

“North of the Indian Ocean and in different places, we hit 12 Israeli ships. After hitting the fifth vessel, they raised their hands in surrender and said they would cease the war between the ships,” he said.

Salami claimed that Iran has now secured all maritime routes previously targeted by enemies, ensuring safe passage for ships.

He didn’t specify whether the IRGC or the Houthi militias in Yemen were behind attacks on Israeli vessels.

After the breakout of the Hamas-Israel war in 2023, attacks on ships increased, with the Iran-backed Houthis, initially targeting Israeli-linked vessels, now also attacking ships tied to the US and the UK.